A New Man
by Alter Mann
Summary: Accidents happen, even in SHADO. But this time the most vital piece of manware is involved and may be changed forever.
1. Chapter 1

**A NEW MAN**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of „UFO". This is a non-profit fanstory written by a fan for fans. No infridgement of Copyright intended._

**Chapter 1**

It was already dark outside as Commander Edward Straker entered SHADO Control, General James L. Henderson, Head of the Astropyhsical Commision, Dr. Jackson and Dr. Fraser right behind him. Strakers pace was slower than usual. It was obvious that he was guided through the labyrinth of corridors of HQ. His hair style had changed. The stylish round cut, that made his platinum hair look like a cap clinging to his head had been replaced by a military cut, short at the neck and with a side parting on the left side. Although he was still wearing his familiar cream coloured Velcro suit, his appearance was totally different. It was noticeable at once and Starker was drawing more and more attention to himself, as his small group finally arrived in the nerve centre of SHADO, the Control Room.

They had picked night time to bring Straker back to where he had been working for the past ten years, so the studio would not be crowded with starlets and film producers, who would have noticed Straker at once and may have caused unwelcome situations Straker simply couldn´t face yet.

Their arrival at a film studio bearing his name in the middle of the southern English countryside had already been enough surprise for him. But the night was promising to get even worse.

SHADO - Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organisation. Straker didn`t even bother to ask the grumpy old General and his two accompanying doctors seemed to be busy making sure he didn`t collapsed on the floor this very second.

"Well, here we go". Straker thought and stepped into the Control Room. Gladly no one turned to look at him. Everyone was busy at their consoles. Wherever he was, this place appeared to be organised.

Straker started walking around casually. Looking into the corridors leaving Control, watching all the unfamiliar people at whatever they where doing. He knew, he was expected to know these people, this place, everything. Henderson was looking at him with unveiled hope, but he recognised nothing. Nothing.

God, how he hated it. The visits had been gruesome. Three days after the accident a pretty blond woman had shown up at his hospital bed. Bringing flowers and "get well soon" cards with five dozen names on them which he had never heard off before and started to chat on about some studio and something called SHADO for ten minutes until she realised, he wasn`t understanding a thing.

She looked into his face, saw his puzzled expression and her smile faded and than she dashed out of the room shouting for the sinister doctor who had introduced himself as Douglas Jackson at the very second he had woken up in his hospital bed. Douglas Jackson. "Yeah", Straker thought, "and I`m the emperor of China!" With that accent and eastern European appearance this guy was nowhere close to being Doug Jackson, than he was to be part of the royal Japanese family, but Alec had told he this Jackson guy was alright.

Well, at least, on their side, sort of. Alec had been a real relive. The first familiar face in the whole place. And loads of people had come to fuss about him. It seemed like six different nurses where only attending him. He had a single room of course, but the whole floor seemed to be empty. He had stayed there for nearly three weeks and had seen no other patient the whole time. Not that he was aloud to wander around on his own. He was secluded to his hospital corridor, two guards standing watch beside his door day and night and two others at the entrance to the corridor.

He was released from his hospital prison yesterday. Alec had brought him home. A small cottage outside a town called Islington. It was neat, clean and spartan furnished. A painting showing off an attacking f16 squad over his fireplace. Nice. But again nothing looked familiar.

The fridge was empty. Alec had cleaned it out. The big Australian seemed to be anywhere and he was constantly fussing about him. Straker was glad to have his friend around. He could remember five years of ever closer growing friendship, but Alec had told him, it`s been 15.

He had lost ten years. Ten years he`d spent in England, leading a film studio. And obviously doing something else beside of that. Or instead of. The studio was real, but his position as studio executive was just a mock up. A fraud. He`d known it instantly and told Alec right in the face. The Australian had just laughed. Alec knew him so well, he was not surprised that Straker wasn´t buying it for ten seconds. So he had arranged for him being taken to "the real world", as he called it.

Henderson had been hanging around every second day, asking awkward questions. No, he couldn`t remember, no, he had never seen this Jackson guy before. Henderson didn`t bother to hide his disappointment any more. Alec had taken him out for lunch to a nice Italian restaurant. Many of the studio staff attended this place for dinner, but at lunch time it was pretty empty. A fact Straker really enjoyed after the scene with Ginny Lake in the hospital.

"She`s with us too" Alec had told him. "I mean, not only with the studio, but also in the other place".

And finally visiting "the other place" had been the goal for that day. Alec left for work right after lunch and Straker drove home in his sleek bronze car. His car. Another surprise. But well, he`d come across greater surprises.

At ten o`clock they came for him. Henderson and the two doctors from that private hospital, which also belonged to "the other world", as Alec had told him. And now they were here. SHADO Control. Straker turned around to face Henderson, who was eying him expectantly.

"I`m sorry General, I could swear, I have never been to this place" Straker said. "I know none of these people".

There. That won him the full attention of anyone in the room. He couldn`t have gotten more attention if he`d started to strip and dance around the place naked. An Indian looking longhaired beauty with a golden "A" on a chain dangling around her neck stared at him in disbelieve. She had stopped her conversation with a woman wearing a purple wig on the screen in mid sentence. A young bloke in a purple suit stopped joking around with two blond beauties and spilled his coffee on the maps on the desk he was standing at. This promised to get unpleasant.

"Craig" a female voice whispered in this ear. "Rise and shine, Craig, it`s time."

"It`s Foster`s turn, love" Colonel Craig Collins of SHADO muffled under his blanked.

"Sorry, Craig, with the lord out of it, it´s your turn" Ginny replied. "Now get up". Ginny walked into the kitchen to make tea.

"Who, me? Straker`s not going to kick me for not showing up, isn`t he?"

"Aren`t you supposed to be his long-time friend?" came the answer from the kitchen.

"Alright, alright." Craig disappeared into the bathroom and returned fully dressed only ten minutes later for breakfast with his latest girlfriend, Colonel Virginia Lake. She was his price. A blond beauty who was simply brilliant in computer design and one of SHADO´ s latest adds to the pay roll. He had only met one person with more brains in his life and that was Edward Straker. His long-time friend from NASA with degrees in Astrophysics and Maths, who was appointed Commander-in-Chief of SHADO Operations ten years ago at the age of only 24, as this title had ment nothing at all, because SHADO was newly founded and consisted of round 20000 pages of international contracts and a name only. Straker had set the whole organisation up, ruined his marriage over it and had only started to kick those green-skinned alien asses one year ago and now couldn`t remember a single thing from the past 10 years. SHADO´s most vital piece of human hardware had become useless and a security risk. This was a bad day. Craig left his breakfast untouched and went to duty.

"Ed, please look at the pictures again. I`m sure, if you only tried … " Alec`s voice trailed off, Straker wasn`t listening. He was looking out of the window into the cottage`s well tended garden, looking tired, strained and rather frail.

"Did they release him too soon?" Alec asked himself for the hundreds time. Strakers injuries from the explosion had been grave, but yet, the Commander was known to heal astonishingly quickly. But he was never a big man. Taller than Alec, yes, but always slim and lean. There wasn`t one inch of fat on this man`s body and no matter what you fed him or how much of it, he never picked up weight. But today he looked exceptionally fragile.

"He`s not well and you`ve been pestering him with SHADO stuff for the past week and so did anyone else, what do you expect?" Ginny`s voice came over from behind.

"I am alright" Straker said, his gaze slowly returning to Alec. "I `m just tired".

"You`re never tired, mate" Craig came over with a plate laden with salad, pie and half a dozen other specialties Ginny had broken a leg to prepare. He stuffed the plate into Straker`s hands. "Now, eat!"

"Thanks Craig, but I`m not hungry" Straker said absent minded.

"You`re never hungry either" all three answered at once.

"Please, Ed, just a few bites, for me" Ginny begged. Straker started eating rather displeased. "It`s nice, Ginny, thanks" he managed to mumble, but Ginny looked unconvinced.

"Ed, what exactly do you remember?" Craig asked. "I mean, there must be something … .".

"Nothing, Craig, just nothing" Straker answered. "The last ten years are just gone from the very moment I left home. For me, it seems like I should be at Houston now, at NASA HQ, training for Galileo 5 mission in six weeks. And then I wake up in that hospital of yours and Alec starts telling me about this SHADO stuff and me covering as a bloody movie exec. A forth class film studio in southern England carries my name where they can`t even make spots for dog food, but it doesn`t matter, because it`s just a hoax for a secret military organisation hunting aliens. If you were not all looking at me like that, I`d think, it`s just a real stupid joke of you funny guys. But watching my own face in the mirror, I´m not 24 any more. I look like 54 to be honest. What the hell happened in this organisation? None of you looks like a happy boy anymore, by the way". His voice trailed off.

"You know, mate, this place is not NASA and …" Collins started, but Straker finished the sentence for him " … yeah, I know, you just fought your asses off for 10 years and still you don`t even know how to call your enemy. You have been taking double shifts for almost 10 years and your private life is simply non-existent, apart from you choosing your current girlfriend from the ranks of your fellow officers `cause normal relationships don`t last more than a week for you. And you hate this place for looking like a museum of my past glories and places I will never see again, but you know what? This is supposed to be MY house and if I wanna have a painting from my old squad hanging on MY wall above MY chimney that`s just MY damn business! And by the way Alec, why don´t you just get yourself something to eat if you haven`t had anything for the whole day? Ginny`s cooking could support a whole football team!" Straker was nearly shouting now and all three of his colonels were staring at him wide eyed.

"How the hell do you know what I think about this painting?" Collins asked.

"How the hell did you know I was hungry?" Alec added. "God, Ed, don`t tell me … . Okay, you just stop doing that. I mean it, Ed, STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" All three men were standing now, staring at each other with rising anger.

"Okay gentlemen, that`s enough" Ginny said. "You three sit down and tell me what`s going on here".

"Ed`s a psychic Ginny, he read our minds." Collins volunteered.

"He`s a what? You mean like this crazy guy, Croxley, who spied out SHADO by watching Paul in hospital and tried to kill Alec and Ed afterwards, because he thought them responsible for the aliens smashing his house and killing his wife?"

"Exactly, the guy Foster conveniently shot for being the greatest security risk we ever faced, because the old chap was just out of his mind. But well as it is, Ed `s still got his wits together and a stable telepath is a fantastic advantage for us. But I really don`t like it, when he reads MY mind!" Craig said.

"Listen Ed, you told me ten years ago after that, hm, disturbing event that you`d lost all your abilities. And Jackson and the other guys from the mind games division never found a trace of any ESP with you. Even Croxley said your own mind was easy to read because you think in such clear and calculating patterns, without emotion. What happened?"

"I don`t know Alec, I really don`t know." Straker had turned pale and put his head in has hands.

"Just sit down, will you, sorry for shouting, but you know how much I hate these mind games." Alec put his hand on Straker`s shoulder and gently pushed him down onto the sofa again.

"I can`t believe it, you`re a mindreader." Ginny started again.

Straker winced. "We prefer to be called telepaths".

"We? You mean, you know more … , I mean other telepaths?"

"Of course, who do you think trained me?" Straker asked bewildered.

"Trained you? Wait, there`s a kind of training for telepaths?" Ginny looked like she had been presented the holy grail.

"Look, I´m not supposed to talk about this. Hell, I`m not even supposed to tell you what I am. I`m boasting top secret information as if I was talking about the daily menu in that studio cantina. I`m really out of it. No wonder Henderson want`s me dead."

"HENDERSON WANTS YOU DEAD?" Straker`s colonels were on their feet again.

"Yes, yes, that`s what he thought about last time he dragged me down to that headquarters of yours. If I don`t recall soon, I´m dead. Security risk and all that."

Straker didn`t looked worried at all, but tired and worn out, as if he`d been on duty for at least a week. And now Alec knew the problem.

"Why didn`t you tell me?" His voice was soft as he sat down beside his friend, carefully avoiding any physical touch.

"You had enough on your mind, I knew that." Straker managed a little smile.

"Well, at least he`s still joking" Collins remarked. The lack of sleep was beginning to show even on the always good natured British colonel.

"You should mind your words around other people, master. You would have had more friends if you told all SHADO you`re gay or something. But stiff-neck, no-nonsens Commander Straker a telepath, that will rock the place."

"I don`t seem to be the most favourite of officers in this organisation" Straker said.

"I´m afraid not." I came out dry as sand and Alec could have hit himself the moment he saw Straker flinch.

"Don´t mind that now." Ginny interrupted. Ed will face a death sentence for means of security if we don`t get his memory back asap. So what are we going to do?"


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

"So what`s the news, doctor?" Henderson was strolling into Jackson`s underground office in SHADO HQ. The old man got more and more good natured every day, which came to no surprise to the sinister psychiatrist. After all, the Commander and the General detested each other.

Henderson still thought that Straker had snatched the command post of SHADO from it`s rightful owner, himself. Taking the chance as Henderson was hospitalised, half blind and in a wheelchair after the aliens had attacked the limousine and wiped out the escort that should have taken him and Straker to a meeting with the British Prime Minister.

Everyone else died that night, even the British Minister of Defense, who had greeted them at the airport. But Straker came out with life endangering lung injuries and had left the hospital after a week. He always healed incredibly quickly and it was more than a challenge for the US secret service to keep the British doctors off him.

And while the old man was still in critical condition, Straker was appointed CIC of SHADO Operations. Straker set up the organisation all alone only helped by a handful of close friends, who became the first SHADO recruits. After his recovery, the old man returned to the job and constantly stuck his nose into Straker`s business.

It got even worse as Henderson was appointed head of the Astrophysical Commission, which was founded to hold the purse strings for SHADO. Now Straker was struggeling to get the money for new coffee machines and it was all Henderson`s doing and Straker detested the old man more than everything else for it. Both men were grateful whenever the other was gone, whatever be the reason. And now it was Henderson`s turn to enjoy himself and he clearly did.

"No change, Sirrrr" the Bulgarian replied. "The Commander seems not to be able to remember a thing". Jackson`s pronaunciation was still akward, but his name wasn`t even Jackson. SHADO attracted a lot of highly specialized personnel, but not all of them got their loyalties right, as Freeman would have said. The haggard Australian was Jackson`s worse enemy in SHADO.

"You know what that means. Straker`s become a security risk."

"Well, yesss, but it`s only been a few days yet, General and the Commander is SHADO`s most vital piece of manware, as you yourself once remarked."

"SHADO`s most vital piece of manware has become a security risk, doctor, we have no other options. Either Straker remembers who he is or he dies, that`s the deal we all know."

"We could certainly try some psychological drugs we have been experimenting with."

"Go on than and report every change". Henderson was out of the office before Jackson had a chance to reply. Of course he was the General`s man or this was what the General thought and Jackson was careful to keep him this way. But Straker`s blind dedication and fierce loyalty to the cause had long fascinated the doctor and he was on the edge of changing sides once again.

"What do you think of him?" Nina asked loudly.

"Think of whom?"

"Oh, come on Mark, you know I`m talking about the Commander."

"Well, he doesn`t remember anything or anyone here, does he?"

"Now, that`s smart, Captain, any other comments?" Nina looked at him challengingly.

"You know, as far as I`m concerned, Straker could use a little lesson. He`s such an arrogant … "

"Who`s such an arrogant whatever, Mark?" Gay walked into the sleep sphere and started to change her silver duty uniform into the freetime version while walking.

"Hm, never mind, I`m off." Mark grabbed his white pilot´ s gloves and exited.

"Now, what was that all about?"

"Looks like your boyfriend hasn`t got that much pity for our sweet Commander." Nina replied.

"First of all, Mark`s not my boyfriend and secondly the Commander has never been the most favourite person up here. At least not with the interceptor pilots. You remember the thing with Mark, Lew and me being called down to HQ to report after Ken`s death? He gave the boys the creeps."

"But he didn`t scare you very much, did he?" Nina shuckled. The moonbase girls knew how much Gay adored Straker and made fun of it in private every chance they got.

"Oh, come off it! Don`t you think about him a second? He can`t remember a thing. Only strangers around him telling him odd stuff, how would you feel? I`m sorry for him"

"I feel sorry for him too, Gay, don`t forget, I`ve known him for ten years now. I even consider him my friend. And now he doesn`t even know me. I really don`t think this funny." Nina replied.

"I`m sorry Nina, I didn`t mean to, you know".

"It`s alright Gay, I know. But he wouldn`t like it. Being pitied by everyone and all the people making a fuss about him. Don`t show."

"You´re right, I thought as much as that. You haven`t met him yet?"

"No, I was on duty when he came."

"Being shipped out to every outpost of the organisation to try and remember something, it must be terrible."

"You name it. I think, I´ll just have a look at Central Park, perhaps he`s there."

"I`ll go too, maybe we can wring a little memory out of him."

Straker was sitting on a bench in front of some flowers and little bushes in a small glass house. The bench wrought around the little sphere and formed a kind of small recreation area that had been introduced to him as Central Park. The British sense of humour or so it seemed.

Alec had wandered off to the Control Sphere to check on official things and Ed was left here for some free time. It was just as well for him, for the sphere was empty and he enjoyed the chance to be alone with his thoughts instead of being anciously watched by everyone.

Does he remember or doesn`t he? Straker had come to hate the pitying glances of the women and the distanced coolness of the men. Obviously he wasn`t just another pilot in this place, a part of the family. He was something different, one needn`t be a mind reader to know that.

The worst thing for him was the open dislike and spitefulness from some of the pilots. Some people really detested him and he had hoped to meet more friends once he got in touch with the pilots. He had been one himself for so many years. But this wasn`t home, those guys were British or Australian or whatever but only a few were American and even those regarded him as alien at least.

"Face it, you`re not one of the bunch any more" Straker thought. Well, he`d always been different, but people like Alec Freeman made it easy to be friends, even for him. Straker sighted and looked at the flowers again. Surely not his design. He would have added something more colourful. His musing was interrupted by the sound of an opening airlock door. "Here we go again" Ed thought. Another bunch of unwilling pilots eying him suspiously or some girl in a silver catsuit trying to trigger a conversation about thinks he didn`t remember. But Ed was surprised at the sight of the two girls that emerged from the door.

"Good morning, sir" Gay said. "Have you slept well?"

"Very pleasantly, thank you Lieutenant" Straker managed to say. She was nice, he noticed. A brunette bob cut, green eyes and a silver mini skirt. Whoever designed those uniforms certainly had an eye for details. And the chocolate coloured beauty beside her was another fine piece.

"Oh, this is lieutenant Nina Barry, sir"

"How do you do, Lieutenant ?" Straker said virtuously.

"_Come on girls, sit down and ask your questions. No, I don`t know you. No, I could swear I´ve never_ _seen you before and no, I`ve never been to this place either."_ Straker thought annoyed.

"May we sit down, sir?" Gay inquired.

"_Mind your manners, Commander"_ Ed thought. "Off course, ladies, please excuse me."

The girls sat down and Nina volunteered a question. "Do you like the moonbase food, sir?"

"Oh, I`m afraid I hadn`t had time to try it. Any suggestions?"

"Well, I can imagine the American food will be more of you` re liking. Although you enjoyed the Italian stuff a lot back on Earth. Has Alec taken you to "Luigi`s" yet?" Nina chatted on happily.

"Oh, you know Luigi`s? Straker asked indifferently. _"Of course you do"_ he corrected himself. "Seems like the hole studio lot goes there for dinner and of course the SHADO staff, which seems to be more or less the same" He managed a smirk "I understand it`s quite nice."

"It´s one of your favourite restaurants, if you ever go out for dinner, that is and you will certainly enjoy the others!" Nina flashed him a bright smile. _"Warm up, man"_ she thought _"we`re friends, not_ _Henderson`s bunch". _

"_Is she one of my friends?"_ Ed thought. _"I really hope so."_

"I`ve got a feeling you can tell me which the others are." Straker tried to step into a friendly conversation. Friends were something he really needed.

"Of course, Alec, Craig and Paul dragged you to every bar in London, but your favourite restaurant is Peter Drake`s "Hell`s Kitchen". He is an old friend of yours. We spent a lot of late nights there."

"_Good God, a familiar name at last"_ Ed jumped at the opportunity.

"So Peter Drake opened a restaurant in London? Well, that`s something. The last thing I remember about Peter is a little house in Texas, a wife and three children. Don`t tell me, he made Maggie and the kids come over here."

Nina`s smile disappeared. "Er, actually, his wife and children are dead. Plane crash, nasty story."

"_Fool",_ Ed thought_, "I`m going to make myself the greatest fool on earth without even knowing it. How much I hate it!"_

"Er, well, what about your favourite restaurant, Lieutenant Ellis?"

"I`m into Italian food as well, Commander, my favourite is "Luigi`s"" Gay smiled at him.

"_What a smile"_ Ed thought. _"If the mad old man wasn`t after my life, I would invite this girl for dinner"._

"Any preferences? Pasta? Tiramisu?" He asked politely.

"The fettuccini are fantastic" Gay replied., but before she could go any further, the alarm sounded through the sphere and the lights changed to red.

"This is Control, all personnel to red alert, repeat, all personnel to red alert, interceptors immediate launch"


End file.
